


Certificate for a new beginning

by Khiela



Series: Twelve Days Till Christmas [5]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Ocean's Eleven (2001)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Christmas fic, Crossover, F/M, POV Female Character, Pre-Movie, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-05-27
Updated: 2012-05-27
Packaged: 2017-11-06 03:14:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/414091
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khiela/pseuds/Khiela
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <em>Rusty Ryan was a thief and a con man, and to her shock Hermione wasn't nearly as scandalized as she'd expected she'd be.</em>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Certificate for a new beginning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Viwiel](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Viwiel/gifts).



> Time line wise this is between the last chapter and epilogue for **Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows** , and before **Ocean's Eleven** for Ocean's.  
> 

" _Edith Wharton wrote,_ "I don't know if I should care for a man who made life easy; I should want someone who made it interesting." _Don't you think that's interesting, Mione?"_ , Harry had pointedly said to her, before giving her an envelope containing her twentieth birthday present from him. She'd known what he was offering the second she opened it. Gift certificate for international floo to United States, and short note, promising he'd pay for her return ticket, but hadn't wanted to purchase it yet since there were limitations how long those were valid.

She'd stared first the certificate, then the note, and lastly Harry. They'd stared each other so long the Weasley's around them had started to question if there was something wrong. Hermione had wanted to say to them, " _Not any more,"_ but she wasn't that cruel. She'd wanted to tell Ron before telling his family she wasn't marrying him like everyone – except Harry, apparently – was expecting her to. She'd been feeling hesitant about the matter for some time, and with the knowledge she wasn't loosing Harry, too, if she broke up with Ron, Hermione felt freer than she had in almost a year.

It hadn't been easy, but after dodging two Howlers presumably from Mrs. Weasley, Hermione found herself in New York with her bottomless purse and candy cane in hand – don't ask, George Weasley had weird sense of humour – and few months later in the city of Las Vegas. To her surprise she liked it there. The wizarding culture of the city was beyond fascinating.

It was in Las Vegas that she met the man who was bound to make her life interesting. Of course, he wasn't the first to come, but he was first to stay. His name was Robert Ryan, and he preferred to be called Rusty. It also didn't take long for the perceptive witch to realize Rusty wasn't telling her something, nor did it take her long to figure the secret out. Magic does come handy, doesn't it?

Rusty Ryan was a thief and a con man, and to her shock Hermione wasn't nearly as scandalized as she'd expected she'd be. Their relationship seemed to get even deeper with Hermione's knowledge of Rusty's extracurricular activities and she started to feel guilt for not telling Rusty of her being a witch. Thus it was a no brainer for her to reveal it when Rusty, after nine months of living together, came to tell her he'd been made in his latest con and he needed to skedaddle.

Of course it had taken some persuading to do to make Rusty believe she was telling the truth, but alternatively it took less to persuade him to go with her to England, to see Harry and stay at Grimmauld Place for a while.

Rusty couldn't resist the change of doing a job in London and that was how he came to meet with the explosives expert known as Basher.

When they both felt it was time to move once again, this time heading to Asia, Harry was grinning when they were saying their goodbyes. Hermione knew Harry's parting comment would stick with her for a long time, "You just had to go for a criminal, didn't you, _sis_?"

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: " _I don't know if I should care for a man who made life easy; I should want someone who made it interesting._ " – Edith Wharton  
> Word to include: 'candy cane'  
> Written for December 17th, 2011.


End file.
